Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jul-Aug;7(4):769-774.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_113_18.

Dysmenorrhea, associated symptoms, and management among students at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia: An exploratory study

Affiliations

Dysmenorrhea, associated symptoms, and management among students at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia: An exploratory study

Mohammed Abadi Alsaleem. J Family Med Prim Care. 2018 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Background: Dysmenorrhoea is a common health problem among females in their reproductive years. Available information on dysmenorrhoea in university student in abah, Saudi Arabia is limited. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and associated menstrual symptoms and their self-management techniques among female university students of King Khalid University (KKU).

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at College of health science in KKU, Saudi Arabia. Sample: A total of 197 students aged between 18 and 23 years. A Self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data.

Results: Dysmenorrhea was reported by more than two-thirds of the girls (70.6%). In the 139 girls, who reported dysmenorrhea, its related information on severity of pain, medication use, and care-seeking behavior is detailed in the table. Severe pain was reported by (35.2%) respondents. Two-third of the respondents (66%) reported using medications for pain relief and use of herbal medicine was also found to be quite prevalent (69.1%). The gastrointestinal problems were the most common symptoms experienced by the students and were significantly high among the dysmenorrheal students. Less than one in four respondents (23%) reported consulting a doctor for their dysmenorrheal while most of them consulted with friends and family.

Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea is a very common problem among the university students. A number of symptoms were related with dysmenorrhea. Even though it is common, and may not have a pathological cause, few students seek medical advice. Increasing the awareness can help in relieving the burden of this common health problem.

Keywords: Dysmenorrhea; Saudi Arabia; students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Padubidri VG, Daftar S. 16th ed. New Delhi: Reed Elsevier India Private Limited; Dysmenorrhea and pre-menstrual syndrome Shaw's Textbook of Gynecology; pp. 471–4.
    1. Parker MA, Sneddon AE, Arbon P. The menstrual disorder of teenagers (MDOT) study: Determining typical menstrual patterns and menstrual disturbance in a large population-based study of Australian teenagers. BJOG. 2010;117:185–92. - PubMed
    1. Sharma A, Taneja DK, Sharma P, Saha R. Problems related to menstruation and their effect on daily routine of students of a medical college in Delhi, India. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2008;20:234–41. - PubMed
    1. Avasarala AK, Panchangam S. Dysmenorrhoea in different settings: Are the rural and urban adolescent girls perceiving and managing the dysmenorrhoea problem differently? Indian J Community Med. 2008;33:246–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kumbhar SK, Reddy M, Sujana B, Reddy RK, Divya BK, Balkrishna C. Prevalence of dysmenorrhea among adolescent girls (14-19yrs) of Kadapa district and its impact on quality of life: A cross sectional study. Natl J Community Med. 2011;2:265–8.